


Work Ethic

by tearsontherocks



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen, lots of characters are mentioned but it's mostly just the main trio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2019-01-08 13:59:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12255801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tearsontherocks/pseuds/tearsontherocks
Summary: Sora, Kairi, and Riku reflect a little on their own as a new adventure approaches.  Set just after the events of KH 2.8, so please be aware of potential spoilers!!





	Work Ethic

**Author's Note:**

> As said in the summary, this is set just after the events of Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, so please be wary of potential spoilers!
> 
> This is basically a culmination of headcanons - both mine and others' - that I've adopted over the years about the main KH trio, as well as a bit of an introspective on where I think the characters might stand right now before we take that final giant leaping step into KH3.
> 
> I'm not usually much of a fanfic writer, but this had been gnawing at my brain ever since I finished 2.8, so hopefully someone gets something out of it. Enjoy! :)

# Work Ethic

### 

A Trio of Thoughts Before the Third Symphony

Sora knew how to work hard, sure…. But he knew how to take it easy _better_. For every several hours of battles and rough fights they got into, there was at least one or two where he, Donald, and Goofy stopped for lunch, took a break in a park, or paused to admire the scenery. There was so much to look at, after all, when you get to see new worlds all the time! Sora wasn’t sure how, but Goofy had an almost paternal sense about him, frequently pulling out a bag of trail mix from the enormous pockets on his pants or offering them juice boxes from his knapsack. And it never failed; when training was starting to drag on, Donald was the first to complain about it, quickly earning them all a break. Sometimes it was in a café or in a nice inn, but more frequently it was a simple respite under a shady tree. 

Occasionally, the three would get lost somewhere, or stuck on where they needed to go next, but somehow through their usual bumbling, they always managed to find just the right (or wrong) place to be. Every now and then, Goofy would catch Sora unconsciously trying his hardest to stay awake at night, attempting to avoid a wakeless sleep… but a calm talk and warm reminders would usually help ease him into slumber. So generally, Sora was decently adjusted to the tasks they had to take on, especially considering all he’d been through. Even though he thought about his mistakes and nightmares from time to time, he was grateful to have Donald and Goofy with him to keep him smiling and always looking forward instead of back.

But not a day went by that he didn’t think of Kairi and Riku, off on their own missions. Not a day went by that he didn’t clutch a pastel-colored charm to his chest and pray that they’d all be safe, for just one more day.

And with a warm feeling radiating in his chest, he always knew they would be.

\-----------

Kairi knew the value of patience; of waiting for just the right moment. This, she found, came in particularly handy in her current Keyblade training. Even the seasoned Lea found himself startled when she’d expertly land a hit on him after she’d dodged just enough attacks to find an opening. Yes, she knew exactly how to wait, as she’d already spent countless days and hours perfecting _that_ technique. But learning to wait had taught her so much more …like how to trust. To always trust that her two best friends would come through, as they always had. Faith that if she did her part, they’d do theirs, and everything could turn out brighter for everyone. And hope, something she found herself reminding Lea about. It’s so important to hope for something better, she told him, because if you don’t, you might not recognize it when it comes. Lea would just smile and joke that he _hoped_ Merlin would let them have the next day off. He was usually rather cheery, but sometimes his smile just didn’t take. She never asked why he’d stay up late staring at the moon, looking more melancholy than usual, but she’d always try to make him laugh a little more the next day.

Every now and then, Merlin would remind Kairi to “be less aggressive”, and scold Lea for purposefully holding back. At first, she’d been a little insulted at the gesture, but her heart had softened when Lea came to her after practice, apologizing again for his mistakes in a past life. She firmly told him it was all water under the bridge, but she suspected that he still harbored a lot of guilt for a lot of things. And she could see the ache in his eyes whenever he looked at Sora, remembering a friend he was sure he wouldn’t see again. You’ve just got to hope, she wanted to tell him, Roxas is still in there… I know it. …but she couldn’t say it. One of these days, she would. 

Every day, she would give Lea a big smile, reminding him to keep his chin up and do his best, for their friends. Every day she thought of two young men who she just knew would be needing her help soon, praying for their safety until she was able to get there and finally fight right alongside them. 

They really are hopeless without her, after all.

\------------

_Master_.

The weight of the word had rested heavily on Riku’s shoulders ever since Yen Sid had granted him the title. He still felt incredibly unworthy of it, but Mickey continued to reassure him that he was more than ready, and far more than worthy of the title and its responsibilities. Riku still wasn’t sure he completely trusted himself, but he trusted Mickey more than almost anyone, so he held fast to the King’s firm convictions. He was so glad that they were going on this mission together, in part because it seemed as though he rarely got to see Mickey. …and in large part because he wasn’t sure he could face the deep darkness that lay ahead without him.

_Aqua_ … a name he had never heard before Mickey had spoken it now rang in his ears like a mantra. When he was nearly at his lowest point, that’s when she’d saved him. A powerful, true Master of the Keyblade had rescued _him_ , a teenage screw-up, instead of freeing herself from that horrible prison. He remembered the darkness… it wasn’t unlike the darkness he’d recently conquered in his heart, but much, much deeper. Down there, it was more pure, more unfiltered. And she was down there, still trapped and alone, with no one to help guide her out, like Mickey had once done for him.

He had been a little reluctant at first to leave Kairi and Sora, but he knew exactly what his heart was telling him to do, and he knew that they were both in good hands. Of the three, he’d always been the last to shy away from hard work and training, due in part to a promise he’d made to the one who’d given him the Key all those years ago. And while he might have had a tiny advantage over the other two, being a year older than them, he had been training with purpose and conviction… even if he hadn’t quite realized at the time what for.

But finally, all his hard work and trials had paid off. He was far from perfect, and he wasn’t the strongest person… but he knew without a doubt that he was finally strong enough.

Strong enough to protect the things that matter.


End file.
